"Our university has a strong history of power engineering, as well as a longtime partnership with National Grid, whose former executive director, Robert Catell, is chairman of the consortium," said Collins. "It makes good sense for us to be involved in a consortium promoting an issue that is so critical to our state's citizens and its economy.
Collins is a regional and national advocate for higher education - industrial partnerships that couple research discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise for commercialization and economic development. With a focus on advancing sustainable energy solutions and environmental technology innovation, he serves as the president of the Seaway Private Equity Corporation that invests in new technology companies based in St. Lawrence County, N.Y., and on the board of the Solar Energy Consortium, which mobilizes related resources in New York.
He is also the vice chair of New York’s Commission of Independent Colleges and Universities and the chair of the national Association of Independent Technological Universities’ public relations committee. Collins serves on the boards of the Business Council of New York State, the Central New York Metropolitan Development Authority, the Essential New York Initiative, the New York State Environmental Quality Center, the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environment and Energy Systems, and on the board of advisors of Sriya Innovations, Inc.
The New York State Smart Grid Consortium is the only organization of its scale in the country that is committed to representing all major contributors across the smart grid chain -- from utilities, market operators, industry, to academia, government and end-users. It collectively harnesses the unique resources of partners to help define and achieve its strategic smart grid vision. For more information, see www.nyssmartgrid.com
